This blog is a result of the heavy censoring of the media by the military dictatorship regime.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Air Pacific statement tries to play down link of arrested pilot to anti-workers' decree

Air Pacific has today issued its first statement after its CEO was exposed for his role in hatching the Essential National (Employment) Industries decree - and paying an American law firm to draft the controversial legislation.

It's also the airline's first statement since the arrest of pilot Shalend Scott, who is accused by the company of providing information to Coupfourpointfive that led to our story about the implicit involvement of David Pflieger in the creation of the anti-union and workers decree.

Press Release

AIR PACIFIC CONFIRMS UNAUTHORISED IT SYSTEMS ACCESS AND REMOVAL OF DOCUMENTS Air Pacific today reconfirmed that it has suspended one of its employees as the result of an on-going internal investigation that uncovered unauthorised access and removal of sensitive Air Pacific confidential documents which included: individual pilot and flight attendant salaries; individual employee contracts; Board material; and other sensitive financial and commercial documents.

Because of the serious and extensive nature of these offenses, the Company also reported the matter to the Fiji Police, and the Police are conducting a separate investigation. Out of respect for the rights of the employee involved and to allow the police investigation and any subsequent judicial processes to run their course without interference, Air Pacific does not intend to comment further on this matter at this time.

### Q: Preliminary reports suggested that more than one employee has been suspended. Is this true?
A: No. Only one employee has been suspended as a result of the Company’s internal investigation and an independent external forensic IT evaluation, both of which confirmed unauthorised access and removal of confidential Air Pacific documents.

Q: Were the documents that were accessed only related to the Essential National Industries (Employment) Decree, as initial press reports seemed to suggest?
A: No, the vast majority of Company confidential documents that were accessed and removed without authorisation had nothing to do with the Essential National Industries (Employment) Decree. The Company’s preliminary investigation has revealed that the confidential documents that were improperly accessed and removed were wide-ranging in nature and included: individual pilot and flight attendant salaries; individual employee contracts; Board material; and other confidential Company financial and commercial documents.

Q: Is it true that this suspension was simply a retaliatory move against an employee who revealed Air Pacific’s involvement with the Essential National Industries (Employment) Decree?
A: No. The investigation and subsequent suspension were implemented to protect the Company's confidential information and the privacy of other employees. The Company’s internal investigation and independent external forensic IT evaluation Press Release
confirmed that the security breaches were serious and the unauthorised access and removal of Company documents violated numerous Air Pacific policies and procedures, as well as the terms of the individual’s employment agreement. Because of the nature of documents improperly removed – documents containing sensitive and confidential information with content unrelated to the Decree – the breach had the potential to seriously harm the airline.

Air Pacific does not deny assisting the Fijian Government in respect of the Essential National Industries (Employment) Decree and providing inputs to the Government regarding this new employment legislation. Providing inputs to the Government on possible or proposed legislation is a common practice in Fiji and other countries – particularly where legislation affects businesses that are vital to the economic well-being of the country. We understand that other companies in Fiji were also consulted about this legislation and participation in the legislative process is normal and appropriate.

Q: Has the Company’s commitment to its employees changed since the Decree has been implemented?
A: No. The airline’s commitments to its employees and to its unions – commitments put in writing to them – do not support allegations that the Company is intent on stifling unions or intent on imposing new contracts. Air Pacific has been negotiating in good faith with its unions for the past eight months, and it has always maintained that negotiations with all of its employees – unionised or non-unionised – will be held in good faith with a goal of reaching mutually acceptable agreements that are fair to the employees and to the Company. This commitment has continued even after the Essential National Industries (Employment) Decree was published.

In addition, since the decree was issued, Air Pacific’s CEO also pledged in writing to voluntarily recognise the Company’s two unions, to honour proposals already offered to union representatives without diminishment, and he also promised to provide every employee in the Company, whether they are working under union or individual contracts, with guarantees regarding job security, base pay, health care benefits, and overtime opportunities. He also pledged to uphold the rights guaranteed in the Decree: the right to organise and form a union; the right to a secret ballot election; the right to collectively bargain; the right to a dispute resolution process; and the right to strike. A copy of the CEO’s 9th September letter to Air Pacific employees can be found on www.airpacific.com/About-Us/News/

Editor's Note: Shalend Scott appeared in the Lautoka High Court this morning at 10am for his bail application hearing and appears to be unhurt.

24 comments:

Anonymous
said...

What is the union officials doing in fiji.union power is important.air pacific staffs should go in strike . air pacific /govt will go down.come on guys wake up now and support scott now .god bless.rajesh

ALL hogwash. Air Pacific got its "spin doctor" on this because David Pfliger is in Fiji merely on a work contract as CEO Air Pacific. As the proponent and promoter of the EN Decree it is obvious that Pgliger has more legal authority and powers than the Chairman of Air Pacific and the entire Board of Directors of Air Pacific. The fact that Pfliger has been able to operate without impunity means:- a)He has a very powerful "minder" in government - higher than the Prime Minister b) The Directors have given pgfilger free rein of the business. This is totally insane because in any other company or country, Pfliger would have been shown the door. The systematic "media release" has been carefully orchestrated to mend David Pfliger's inept reputation. Pfliger has to go and it is incumbent on the government of the day to revoke his work contract. Pfliger from day one has contravened his work permit for union busting, forced resignations of senior staff, company policy that contravenes ERP, cheating on his wife with Shaenaz Voss, abuse of Air Pacific funds to pay for non related airline work and engaging US Law firm to draft ENI Decree.

my goodness...after all that Coup4.5 has revealed ....Frigger, Vutulaki and Asshole still trying to make themselves look like they are the victim here......they must think us fijians are stupid or something...Warning ...Fijians are very humble people ....but when they get pissed off....you know the rest...

So Shalend Scott now loses his job and becomes unemployable due to illegally taking some company documents and forwarding some of them to a third party. Was it worth it ?

What has all this proved ?

Is the world really interested that supposedely the goverment used extermal sources to produce one of its laws/decrees ? I think not, as just about all companies and goverments worldwide use outside consultants and experts and that is not an illegal action.

Fiji Govt and legal systems totally compromised, this is unprecedented

Fiji is now being raped and pillaged

Coup Four Point Five provides hardcore evidence that Ar Pacific paid lawyers in New York to prepare the Essential Industries Decree

this is terrible - it means the Fiji Govt is TOTALLY COMPROMISED and our legal system and systems of governance are totally corrupted.

laws are being written by people in New York - we don't even have a parliament to scrutinise these laws, we don't have any open media where these laws are debated by the people - and now this information that the laws are being written on the other side of the world by people who aren't even citizens of this country, leave alone democratically elected or even accountable to the people of Fiji.

Air Pacific wants a law so it writes it and sends it to Govt and the Govt rubber stamps it.

if our laws are now being written by all sorts of people, then whats to say our Court rulings and everything else are not being written up the same way by Air Pacific and all the other people who have vested intertests in the outcomes of cases ? Air Pacific goes to Court and they want a case outcome a certain way so they get their lawyers to write the ruling and the Judge just signs - FIRCA want the case to go a certain way they just prepare the Judgement and the Judge just signs it.

this is all messed up.

every single precept of Good Governance, Seperation of Powers, Independance of the Rule of law and the intergrity of its systems have GONE DOWN THE TOILET

we now have total and absolute corruption.

and whats happened here with Air Pacific and these New Yorks lawyers is just way way way beyond the pale. this is complete and total CORRUPTION.

The Bill thats attached there says its for an "Insolvency decree" -so they are basically writing all sorts of Fiji laws.

the Govt is totally phucked - its no longer a Govt. how can it call itself a Govt under these circumstances ?

its not even writing its own laws - outsiders with vested interests are writing Fiji's laws. the Fiji Govt has just been hijacked and phucked over

Fiji is basically being violated.

guys are just walking in here from every corner of the globe and taking whatever they want. they are now even writing our laws.

foreigners now control this country

and they now write the laws.

only GOVT is supposed to write laws. only PARLIAMENT writes laws.

what we have here is guys sitting in New York now writing the laws

Fiji has been taken over. CONQUERED. governed by the guys who are writing the laws in New York.

Person they really should be headhunting is the one in charge their IT - sounds like an open invitation. "Bula air pacific here how may we help? - Yes I'd like the file on??? Everything.

Certainly sir - downloading them all right now".

Gee - hears an idea! Why dont they hire an office manager who knows what a file is?

This going on in IT is not a good sign in an ever increasing high tech industry - AP planes are not Suva buses - as for the laughable "unemployable" jibe? Talking head obviously unaware of Virgin - Qantas or Jetstar?

Thanks 3.31. So he is out of the country. All the overseas junkets have not brought results or action for fijian workers.

The decrees are in place. Unions are as good as dead. Pflieger got his way. Regime screwing workers and unions. Overseas unions taken no action. And Scott rotting in Natabua prison. Qantas, Aussie govt and their unions paying lip service!

Message to Pflieger: stop trying to makeout what you did is normal and acceptable. It is not. Do you think you would get away with this in the US? Big businesses influence governments but like you they get busted too and never as directly as you have done. Face up to it, Dave you have been busted and you know it.

IT guys needs the sack. I guess air pathetic has no company policy in place either with staff on what is accessible and what info is confidential. This serious security issue for other countries where air pacific flies into